Legal online poker in New York

Even though it was late to the party, New York is fast becoming a serious contender for online poker legalization. The state came close in 2017, and sponsors of an effort that made it through a vote in the Senate are trying again in 2018. That would make New York the fifth state — following New Jersey, Nevada, Delaware and Pennsylvania — to legalize online poker.

Read on for the latest NY online poker news along with a summary of the story for online poker so far in New York.

However, Pretlow said the issue didn’t have support in his chamber, and the bill died on the vine. In the wake of that, Pretlow cited a variety of concerns, including whether poker is a “game of skill” and the issues of security and cheating at sites.

Daily fantasy sports was legalized and regulated by the government in 2016.

2015 and earlier

In May of 2015 Bonacic reintroduced his online poker bill, S 5302, but once again the legislature didn’t act on it, and entering 2016, online poker had never even warranted a hearing.

The year before, in March of 2014, a bill seeking to legalize online poker, S 6913, was introduced by Bonacic, who would become online poker’s biggest cheerleader in New York in the years to come. Several months later, in July of 2014, Pretlow introduced a similar online poker bill in the State Assembly.

Recognizing the mood in the legislature, Bonacic called his 2014 bill a conversation starter, and stated that he never intended to make a serious push for online poker expansion in 2014.

The biggest hurdle online poker had to overcome in the New York legislature was the attitude voiced by several key politicians that online legislation needed to wait until the state completed its current gaming expansion project, four new brick-and-mortar casinos.

Three of those casinos are now up and running, with RiversCasino taking its first bet in February 2017, and delLago in January 2017. TiogaDowns officially expanded into a casino in December 2016.

Online poker was first broached in 2013, as a potential funding source for the state’s budget; an idea that never gained any traction.